The problem
Delivery apps bring new customers, but they also take a cut of orders from regulars who would have ordered from you anyway. If $5,000£3,759€4,474A$7,218C$7,068 a month of your app orders come from regulars and your app plan takes an assumed 25% of each order, that's $1,250£940€1,118A$1,805C$1,767 a month in commission (25% x $5,000£3,759€4,474A$7,218C$7,068). Check the rate on your own statement.
What the AI does
Owner.com builds a restaurant website with online ordering, a branded mobile app, a loyalty program and AI-powered email and text campaigns, and handles setup and migration. The Flexible plan is $249£187€223A$359C$352 a month plus a 5% restaurant fee per order; Flat Rate is $499£375€446A$720C$705 a month with no restaurant fee. Guests pay a 5% order support fee on both plans. You move regulars to direct ordering with a card in every bag, a loyalty reward and a link on your Google listing, and keep the apps for new customers.
A worked example
An illustrative example built from typical figures, not a named business.
A pizzeria in Columbus, Ohio sells about $12,000£9,023€10,737A$17,323C$16,962 a month through delivery apps, and the owner estimates $5,000£3,759€4,474A$7,218C$7,068 of that comes from regulars. The owner signs up for Owner.com, adds a bag insert with a QR code and a first-order loyalty reward, and keeps the apps listed.
Before
$5,000£3,759€4,474A$7,218C$7,068 a month of regulars' orders through apps at an assumed 25%: $1,250£940€1,118A$1,805C$1,767 in commission
After
Those $5,000£3,759€4,474A$7,218C$7,068 of orders come direct; $499£375€446A$720C$705 a month to Owner.com instead of $1,250£940€1,118A$1,805C$1,767 in commission
What it's worth
About $1,250£940€1,118A$1,805C$1,767 a month in commission no longer paid, against $499£375€446A$720C$705 a month for Owner.com, so about $751£565€672A$1,084C$1,062 better off. At $5,000£3,759€4,474A$7,218C$7,068 a month of direct orders, Flexible ($249£187€223A$359C$352 plus 5%) and Flat Rate ($499£375€446A$720C$705) cost the same; above that, Flat Rate is cheaper. The 25% commission and the share of orders that move are assumptions.
How to set it up
- Pull three months of delivery app statements and work out your real commission rate and how much comes from repeat customers.
- Pick Flexible ($249£187€223A$359C$352 a month plus 5% per order) if direct orders will stay under $5,000£3,759€4,474A$7,218C$7,068 a month, or Flat Rate ($499£375€446A$720C$705 a month) above that.
- Ask Owner.com how orders reach your kitchen and POS before you sign; the pricing page doesn't list integrations.
- Put a card with a QR code in every app order bag and set a loyalty reward for the first direct order.
- Only text guests who opted in to marketing texts, with STOP working, as the TCPA requires; marketing emails need your address and an unsubscribe link under CAN-SPAM.
- Let your POS or Owner.com's checkout handle sales tax for your city; never type tax into a menu description.
What goes wrong
- Guests pay a 5% order support fee on top of the menu price. Some regulars will notice; compare it with the markup you may already charge on the apps.
- Don't drop the apps on day one. They bring new customers, and a slow switch shows how many regulars actually move.
- The page doesn't say whether prices are per location; ask about multi-location rates before adding a second store.
- Savings only show up if orders really move. Track direct order totals monthly against app commission.